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Welcome to Close Call Sports. CCS objectively tracks and analyzes close and controversial calls in sport, with great regard for the rules and spirit of the game. Developed from The Left Field Corner: MLB Umpire Ejection Fantasy League (UEFL), whose purpose is to objectively track and analyze umpire ejections, video instant replay reviews and their corresponding calls, with great regard for the rules and spirit of the game.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Ejection 089: Dan Bellino (4)

HP Umpire Dan Bellino ejected Reds pinch hitter Miguel Cairo for arguing a fair ball call in the bottom of the 7th inning of the Diamondbacks-Reds game. With one out and none on, Cairo hit a 1-2 sinker from Diamondbacks pitcher Brad Ziegler into the ground surrounding home plate, where it was fielder by catcher Miguel Montero. Replays indicate the batter ball was fielded in fair territory while over the back edge of home plate, the call was correct. At the time of the ejection, the Diamondbacks were leading, 5-3. The Diamondbacks ultimately won the contest, 5-3.

I agree with Anon 7:51. At first incorrect call, then probably looks like inconclusive. CHALLENGE!!!!!!!!!! Bellino is getting those ejections up to four now wow. Jerry Layne getting his cardio up haha. Mark Wegner and Bill Miller changed crews interesting. I wish it was Dale scott for Winters because Scott and Iassonga have to split. Choo's home-run overturned to double. Nope no cat walk interrupting play.

ANON 8:05 the video is up. Cairo is ejected duration 1:47. Looking at it again the ball goes around the right angle to the bottom at first look. so to speak of the home plate (triangle). Please challenge CCS. This can't be right.

looking at it three times my decision doesn't change, inconclusive. Easy call. FSW gives us a side angle of it, but you can't see home-plate. First shot if it is good. Regular game view. Look closely at the ball and home-plate. It can't be correct. Could be in correct call. Should be inconclusive

One more thing, everyone say's Bellino is great smart passed the bar exam etc. that's good put he needs to let Cario vent a little. Is it a fine yeah i say 150 bucks maybe less. It wasn't that terrible. Bellino needs to say something like idk relax not say don't point again that an obvious, cario isn't going to say okay. This reminds me of Wally Bell ejected Johnny Damon both ejected for pointing and touching the plate but the outcome of the play was different.

why is it that every ejection we have someone has to say that the umpire needs to give the player/manager a longer leash? Im really getting sick of reading comments like that. You have no idea what was said so please stop. I just hope those comments are from non umpires because if not, god help us all.

No, he doesn't have to give him a bigger leash. Pointing/demonstrating with the bat is going to get a player ejected. Period. Personally, I thought Bellino showed a very long leash, since it was the second or third point that finally got Cairo ejected.

The highlight is of the Arizona feed. The Cincinnati feed show this much better and even the announcers admitted that he got the call right and it went against their team. Not that that is proof of anything, but after watching it myself I can honestly say this call was not inconclusive. This was definitely a correct call. And I think he gave him a plenty long leash. He could have been justified by ejecting him on the first point to the mark on the ground. That is no different than drawing a line on a pitch. I think he nailed this play.

@anon 9:00 It's inconclusive!!! you actually saw the ball on the plate?! Wow their is something wrong with your eyes. Stop making up stories. I saw it once and so did Anon 7:51 and BaPa cop. You need glasses or contacts.

I remember that just last year posts didn't get 40, 50, 60, even 70 comments with well over half arguing about proper grammar, opinions on player leashes, etc...can we go back to the good old days where it was just a solid opinion on the ejection at hand? It's getting aggravating trying to read through hundreds of comments just to find the true followers of the UEFL.

@ anon 2:23, Lou and mark. Agreed. who cares if people right proper english on a dum message bord. people usually dont care about there english on a message board. I really do miss just talking about ejections. one down side to this site getting popular. i hate it when people that dont know anything about umpiring comment on here just to make people mad. this world is going to hell.

From the first video it looked fould but I was thinking Bellino was right on top of it so he must of got it right. He was proven right thanks to the embeded video. Thanks UEFL. All haters please get off the site.

This is another excellent plate job.... I think it's about time we start to realize how good Bellino is.... I don't know if there was a centimeter between the ball and it being fair but this is another situation that was handled perfectly.

Actually tmac, while I don't doubt Bellino's call, I don't think it was handled perfectly. I think his fair signal was pretty late. by the time he lifted his hand, the runner had already been tagged, and the catcher was showing the ball. While you and I know better, to the casual observer this could look very much like Bellino reacting to the catcher, making a fair call just to get the out. I don't think he'd do that, but to all those out there already predisposed to hate the umpire . . .

I want to see a much faster fair signal there, somthing that might make it look like the catcher reacted to the umpire.

Beyond that, I think the call was right, and the ejection was both right and handled well.

After looking at all the videos including the embedded video I would have to say this is inconclusive. Yes in the embedded video it is zoomed in and there is a sliver of the ball still on the plate but the catcher still has not picked up the ball at this point and the ball is still moving. In the tenth of a second between the time the shot is zoomed in and the time the catcher actually picks up the ball there is no way to conclusively say that the tiny piece of the ball that was still on the plate in the zoomed in shot was still there when the ball was actually picked up.

All the people who are saying correct because of the still shot of the ball still barely on the plate need to take into consideration the ball was still moving and at that time the catcher did not yet have the ball. There is absolutely no way of knowing if that ball was still touching the plate when it was actually picked up.

Agree with Jon Terry, and while I'm not sure that Bellino actually saw it and reacted to the catcher he did ultimately get it right even if by the smallest of fractions it was right and he had a solid plate job.

The only thing I don't like about the ejection is that it seems to be over Cairo pointing. Normally I'd have no problem with running someone for that but Bellino is still pointing too. It's hard for a player to not react negatively when he's told don't do something while the ump is still doing what he told him not to do. After he ran him though I thought he handled himself fine and he handled Dusty fine too.

@AdamThank you - thought I was losing my mind! If a player is pointing you tell them to stop - if they don't you eject them. BUT, you can't tell a player or manager to stop pointing when you're doing it too! In fact, didn't the ump do it 1st?That is my only "thing to work on" for this play, I actually like the delay on the fair call - it's not like signalling fair earlier would have helped the runner get to 1st. Let the "dust settle" then make your call. How dumb would he have looked if the pointed fair, then the catcher threw it back to the mound. Have fun explaining THAT one...

I agree with Anon 11:49... The freeze frame shot is before the ball is touched by the catcher, and the ball is barely in fair territory at that point. The ball does continue to roll before the catcher picks it up. This call is inconclusive. Ultimately, as per league rule, that ends up being a correct call for Bellino, so the challenge is almost futile.

@Adam... The issue is not that Cairo was pointing, it's the fact that he used equipment to point, the same as a batter using the bat to draw a line in the dirt where they feel the pitch was...we also have no clue what was said so there is no way we can speculate exactly what caused the ejection.

I think Bellino did a good job here with the call and the ejection. It's true that Bellino pointed, thus inviting Cairo to point as well. Bellino (correctly) did not toss him at that point. Bellino pointed some more, as did Cairo--still no ejection. The ejection came only after Cairo took it to the next level, using bat and foot to "point" repeatedly.

In an era where some umpires think it's appropriate to stick their fingers in players faces and eject them when they express displeasure, it is nice to see Bellino not eject Cairo for doing something his own actions caused Cairo to do.

After review, the Original Ruling has been affirmed in a 5-0-0 unanimous decision by the UEFL Appeals Board. Five Appeals Board members elected to Uphold the Original Ruling, RichMSN abstained as an owning umpire.

Per Curiam Decision:In the case of Ejection 089: Dan Bellino (4), the Appeals Board has determined upon review of all visual evidence of all camera angels, there is no basis to overturn the Original Ruling on the Quality of Correctness of Correct and the original ruling on the field by Bellino of a fair ball.

No replays were conclusive to show the ball was foul when it was picked up by F2 Montero. Given that there was no conclusive evidence to overturn, the Board elected to uphold the call.

Jeremy concurring:This appeal is deserving of an uphold vote. I don't feel the video is clear enough on the zoom to show beyond a shadow of a doubt it is on the plate, but from all views I had it looks like the ball is touching the tip of the plate. It is at its apex. Very similar to James Hoye (1) last year, except much less conclusive. This one is a lot closer, the ball isn't over the plate completely, but rather touching the tip and apex of the plate. The video evidence shows that is more likely the ball was indeed touching the plate rather than behind the plate, so therefore I elect to uphold the Original Quality of Correctness of correct, that it was a fair ball. Bellino was on top of the plate, exercised slow timing, never began to signal foul, pointed into fair territory and Montero picked up the ball and tagged Cairo. This was likely a fair ball, tag out and correct call by Bellino.

Concurring Opinion, Tmac:I can find no evidence this was a fair ball, however I can find no evidence it was foul. Therefore I uphold the original QOC.